Yes, I know Bury St Edmunds has its own Bury Bach Choir, but the real Bach Choir came to town on Saturday with a performance in the cathedral. My old school chum and best man at my wedding, Andrew, sings with them so I invited him to come and stay and got myself a ticket to the concert. I should have got a ticket sooner, then maybe I would have been able to get a seat with a view of the whole choir (as you can see I was stuck off to one side). But never mind, the singing, under David Hill's expert direction was excellent. The programme was:
Howells Requiem
Morten Lauridsen O Nata Lux
Buck Variations on The Star-Spangled Banner (for organ)
Bernstein Chichester Psalms
John Rutter Requiem
It will be repeated in Winchester Cathedral on Friday 7th July.
Andrew turned out to have solo spots in both the Howells Requiem and Bernstein Chichester Psalms - very tastefully done too. (His backing vocalists weren't bad either!) I was surprised he didn't get a mention in the programme, but apparently he was only asked less than two weeks before the concert and, traditionally, solos taken by members of the choir are not acknowledged alongside the pros anyway. Shame. So, instead, here's a picture of Andrew managing to avoid banging his head against the light in our entrance hall. (He is quite tall).
I knew all the music but the Lauridsen (in fact I had a piano piece written for me based on my contribution to a performance of the Bernstein some years ago - but that is another story). The Howells was beautifully crafted, the Lauridsen sonorous, the Buck a bit of a hoot, the Bernstein joyous and the Rutter smoochy. Quentin Beer, the treble soloist was brilliant, especially in the Rutter.
So, Andrew, come again soon, and those other singers would be welcome back too!
No comments:
Post a Comment